Well, well, well, and what do you know? ROBERTO BAGGIO IS A BUDDHIST.
Somebody like Franco never has his own ideas, for the simple and most obvious reason that he doesn’t have the intelligence to generate them.
So you kind of knew that this unlikely business with the Buddhism and the Japanese haiku came from somewhere else.
Well, you do know that his long-time village/school nickname is Il-Baggio, right?
That’s because he grew up in the era of Roberto Baggio and apparently some people in his growing-up years thought he looked like the iconic Italian footballer.
Whatever floats his boat – why not? I’m not into footballers, so I did a bit of Googling after a tip-off from a reader. And sure enough, this is some of what I found.
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JAPANESE BUDDHISM
In today’s world, more and more people proclaim to be Buddhist celebrities. Being Buddhist in Hollywood has its perks as it is an instant image booster.
Whether it’s Richard Gere being in the Dalai Lama’s intimate circle, Steven Seagal being the reincarnation of a rinpoche, or Roberto Baggio, the followers of the Buddha enjoy an instant boost in their coolness factor.
Let`s examine some famous people who are or have been involved with Buddhism.
Roberto Baggio (born 18 February 1967 in Caldogno, Veneto) is a retired Italian footballer. He was among the most technically gifted and popular players in the world throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
He played for the Italian national team in three World Cups, and is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He was the best Italian player of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, carrying his team to the final, but was one of the three players who missed a penalty in the final which contributed to Italy losing the trophy to Brazil on penalties.
He won both the European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d’Or) and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1993.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voT5W9Doa-s
Errrm – Baggio is (was) good-looking. I doubt whether Debono ever was.
ROBERTO Baggio was famously good-looking.
Franco il-Baggio famously isn’t.
Baggio’s eyes had – much to the delight of the girls “watching” the matches – filled the TV screens during the World Cup in 1990, twinkling, mischievous and ever so expressive.
As for Franco Debono’s? There’s something about them that I just can’t put my finger on. Let’s just say that they are reminiscent of those of somebody with an unmentionable problem of some sort.
The major difference between the Real Baggio and the wannabe Baggio was that the former never created problems for his coach or team mates while the wannabe created problems from the first day he joined the team..
Franco looks like a parrot.
Baggio is most remembered for his biggest failure. That 1994 missed penalty. At the most crucial point for his side – Italy – in the finals.
Bongu…
“The finals did not start well, and I felt the pressure. There was too much responsibility. After all, it was meant to be ‘my’ World Cup. It was falling apart in front of me and I couldn’t make a mark on it. If I hadn’t had my faith in the Gohonzon [the entity of the oneness of the Person and the Law], it would have all been a terrible nightmare. I prayed a lot. The more difficult things got, the more I kept to myself and tried to find my inner strength, often by chanting the Daimoku in absolute silence.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2002/may/19/worldcupfootball2002.football
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gohonzon
Debono is a Fiorentina supporter and Baggio played for Fiorentina at that time. That’s why “Il-Baggio”.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2090847/Vanity-deadly-man-Plague-worries-intense-causes-stress-heart-problems.html
Ahjar ikollok laqam il-Baggio milli xi laqam bhal it-Toto (Toto Schillaci kien jilghab ma Baggio), jew il-Qahbu jew il-Pupa.
Minn mindu kien zghir Franco kien ambizzjuz hafna u kien jaghmel xogholu b’mod metikoluz hafna.
Ghada ghandu decizjoni wahda u jekk jastjeni jkun qed ipoggi l-gvern taht mannara.
Ir-rizultat finali jkun dak li Malta terga tinhakem minn marmalja vjolenti mmexxija minn Anglu Farrugia.
Dan bniedem politikament skars hafna hafna, li fi tfulitu sawwat hafna nies.
Kien juza l-uniformi sabiex jiehu vantaggi u Alla jbierek sar avukat. Minix se noqghod insemmihom kollha ghax kollha mtektkin.
Il-kapijiet li kellhom dejjem maghrufin ghad dittatura li biha jmexxu…. U dan? Dan u martu ihobbukhom! Jien ma rridux ihobbni! Jien mahbub diga.
Franco’s eyes have no expression. They are dead.
So Franco walks into a restaurant and orders a pizza: “can you make me ONE with Everything!”
Baggio’s twinkle with delight. For Franco, it is a different story altogether. Guess there too much ‘tbatija’ in Franco’s eyes.